Figure Four
Figure Four, known in Japan as , is a human martial artist and fisherman from the coastal village of Alhambra. Named after the and known for his mastery of anti-cyber martial arts, he became the second man who Alita fell in love with. Appearance Figure is a barrel chested young man with dark hair who wears two ponytails, a short one grown from his fringe and a much longer one in back, although the rest of his hair is kept shorter. Along with a bandanna, his typical attire consists of a patterned tank top, jeans, and high boots with studded shins. Over this he usually wears a robe. This was the same outfit he wore in the Epilogue when he visited Ketheres Elyion. After he returned to Alhambra, Figure was shown wearing a tank top and shorts and going barefoot. While normally clean-shaven, at the end of Battle Angel Alita Figure had let his facial hair grow out. In Last Order he is clean-shaven when appearing in Alita's thoughts. After losing his right forearm in a fight with Sechs it was replaced with a cybernetic forearm. This was destroyed when he attempted a strike against a tree and was replaced. An illustration by Yukito Kishiro for the 2003 Ultra Jump calendar depicts Figure as having black hair and being tanned."Calendar of GLO" In Gunnm: Martian Memory, he is depicted as being light skinned and having black hair. He wears a light yellow bandanna, green patterned sleeveless shirt, jeans, and brown boots. Gallery File:BAA06 40 Figure.jpg|Figure in typical attire in Battle 31 File:BAA07_05_Figure.jpg|Figure in Battle 36 File:BAA09 251 Figure.jpg|Figure at the end of Battle Angel Alita in the Epilogue Personality Figure's highest personal value is freedom, which he defines as "taking control of the rudder of your life"Battle 33 During his year of wandering the Scraypard, he came to believe that being alone would be the path to true freedom. This view changed however after meeting Alita and realizing how lonely she was and how little control she had over own life. The mastery of the anti-cyber martial art koppo gives Figure a quiet confidence, pride, and unwillingness to back down from fights. He seems to get into these by refusing to back down from the challenges of his cyborg opponents who have tended to dismiss him because he has no cybernetic enhancements. This also inspired him to have a goal of defeating 1,000 cyborg opponents in combat.Battle 32 Figure has a strong sense of justice, challenging Alita to a fight when she revealed that she was going to abandon him and Yolg in the desert. Although she kept defeating him, he would not give up until he was knocked out, and even after reviving, yelled out that she was running out on their fight even when she was long gone. Despite this treatment, Figure values sticking by his friends even at the risk of his own life, coming to the aid of Yolg, and later Alita herself. Relationships Alita Alita's air of mystery at first intrigued Figure, and he was not afraid to approach her despite Yolg's warnings. It appeared that he genuinely wanted to get to know her better, but became frustrated by her behavior as a member of the TUNED. She at first saved him and Yolg by disabling their rent-a-guns, then by driving them away from Factory Train 12 before its reactor exploded. She then abandoned them temporarily to continue her mission, but returned for them after being warned by Bigott Eizenburg about a powerful tornado that the explosion triggered. After being dropped by the tornado in the Boiling Metal Battalion base, Figure tried to teach Alita a lesson by suspending her off a high-rise. Although she later opened up to him and revealed her mission as a TUNED agent after he shimmied down to talk to her, he angered her by taunting her with some , causing her to kick him and catch him in time to prevent him from falling. When the Boiling Metal ceased shelling the city and began to advance, Alita was quickly enraged at Yolg's fear of fighting and was about to him when Figure intervened, questioning her bloodlust. After Alita declared how much she loved fighting, Figure replied that he enjoyed it himself as well, "better than getting three meals a day", but that he hated wars and "girls that fight in them." This caused Alita to pause and start to consider Figure differently. This was further reinforced when he intervened in her fight with the Boiling Metal by commandeering a minigun and laying down covering fire. When Figure was apparently killed by the battalion, Alita realized how much she cared about him and tried to attack Colonel Bozzle in a rage, but he blew off her legs below the knees using her own rifle. Figure again saved Alita again by killing Knucklehead when he was about to duel her, and she revealed that she liked him when she welcomed his kiss. After the death of Yolg, the two set off for Alhambra, persisting when they ran out of gas and water, although Figure had to carry Alita because she could not walk. When she told him he could leave her behind, he refused, confessing that he was free to carry the woman he had fallen for. They were about to die in the middle of the desert when Bigott manipulated the weather patterns and had the skies open up and pour down water and fish on them. After arriving at Alhambra, Alita promised to return to Figure while he waited for her, telling him not to cheat on her. .]] Five years after Alita fused with the sky hook and formed the Life-Tree to save Tiphares and the Scrapyard, Figure journeyed to Ketheres Elyion where he was found by Koyomi. When she told him that Alita was dead, he violently refused to believe her and after encountering Desty Nova, demanded to know where Alita was. Nova lead them to a chamber inside the trunk of the Life-Tree where a giant bulb was growing. Seeing something inside the bulb, Figure broke it and was reunited with Alita, who had been regenerated in a human body in the manga's original ending. In Last Order Figure is waiting for Alita to return and plans to marry her despite his master Tauro Four's doubts. After discovering a TUNED pistol being sold by a caravan, he sets off to discover what has happened to Alita. Yolg .]] Yolg witnessed Figure's fight with a cyborg who attempted to cut in line to become a rail mercenary, which earned his respect and admiration. The two happened to be stationed in the same rail car and thus got to know each other. The bond between them was strengthened when Factory Train 12 was derailed and Yolg's leg was broken, prompting Figure to come to his aid. They later searched the Boiling Metal Battalion's base for food, and Figure defended Yolg from Alita when she was about to pistol-whip him. Despite Yolg's betrayal when he shielded Colonel Bozzle from being attacked by Alita, he repaid Figure and Alita when he refused to fire on them after being turned into a socket soldier and turned on Bozzle. After sustaining fatal injuries when his explosive charge was detonated, Yolg begged for forgiveness and died in Figure's arms. Abilities .]] Koppo: Figure is a skilled practitioner of an anti-cyborg martial art. He is especially deadly in close quarters, where he can make use of "teai" attacks that take advantage of those attacks which originate at the elbow, making them faster than those using punches that originate at the shoulder, such as Alita's.Battle 32 Figure has mastered oscillation strikes similar to the Hertza Haeon that allow him to inflict internal damage. However he has yet to master pins and s to combat non-cyborg opponents. After losing his right forearm during his fight with Sechs, it was replaced by a cybernetic forearm. Figure has become accustomed to the replacement, but not yet fully recovered the use of his right arm in combat and doubts that he will be able to fully recover as a martial artist. In spite or because of his abilities, Figure seems to have a tendency to get into fights with cyborgs. Up to his fight with Alita, he had beaten 35 cyborgs in combat with the ultimate aim of beating a thousand because of his techniques. These victories were also due in part to the fact that his opponents had not been as skilled fighters and tend to underestimate him because he had no cyborg enhancements. Alita was the only cyborg Figure has fought who managed to defeat him. He emerged from his other fights relatively unscathed until he fought Sechs. Enhanced durability: Despite being flesh and blood, Figure is very resilient and hardy, likely as a result of his background as a fisherman and practice of koppo. During his fight with Alita he kept persisting in attempting to fight her despite getting beat down again and again. He was able to bind his arm after his forearm had been severed and drag himself and AR-4 into a river, surviving to be recovered at Farm 21. Equipment Firearms: Figure has used various firearms during his travels, but not own any. *'Rent-a-gun': Issued while he was a rail mercenary. *'AK-47': Seized from former Barjack turned bandits. *'M4': Used during the Battle of Farm 21. .]] Alita's harmonica: Figure had played the when he was younger, but had gotten rusty by the time he met Alita, as his attempt to play her harmonica failed. However he was able to quickly rediscover how to play it after they wound up at the Boiling Metal Battalion base, using it to wake Alita up after he had suspended her from a high rise. Figure later played the harmonica to distract Knucklehead before his duel with Alita. During his trek west through the desert when he carried her on his back, he played a song that he had learned from his village's rainmaker as a child in an attempt to call for rain. The appeal seemed to have failed, but Bigott Eizenburg, who had been monitoring the two, then manipulated the weather patterns to save them with a deluge of rain and fish. Harpoon: Used in . Vehicles: *'Armoured car': A leftover from the Barjack War that Rivet had at the Sunflower Nursery. *' ': The boat that Figure uses has a triangular sail and can be crewed by one person. *'Jeep': Knucklehead's jeep taken from the Boiling Metal Battalion. History Figure's parents are deceased and as an only child, it is implied that he was raised by his master Tauro Four in Alhambra. He grew up to be a fisherman but also practiced Koppo. Plot ''Battle Angel Alita'' .]] A fisherman from the coastal village of Alhambra, Figure went east a year before in order to see Tiphares. However he did not find the Scrapyard to his liking and signed up to be a rail mercenary on Factory Train 12. During the journey he befriended Yolg, a fellow rail mercenary. Despite Yolg's warnings, he became intrigued by Alita, who was also on the train and was playing her harmonica. Figure boldy took the harmonica from her hands and tried to play it himself, but failed. However he was able to get introduced, although when he noticed Alita's rifle, she warned him off. The appearance of Knucklehead’s squad on Gabriel's radar warned Alita about the pending attack, which she focused on to Figure's puzzlement. When the squad attacked the train and it was derailed, Figure and Yolg were thrown from the train, although the latter's leg was broken. Figure was able to save Yolg from Knucklehead himself, and was in turn saved by Alita who used his shoulder to brace her rifle. She then threw them both at the train to prevent their rent-a-gun packs from detonating. After the nuclear reactor began to melt down, Figure thought that they were finished as the rent-a-gun computer had been damaged by the derailment, but he and Yolg were again rescued by Alita, who was able to hack into and remove their packs. She took them away in a buggy from the train before the reactor exploded. That night Figure challenged Alita to a fight after learning that she planned to leave him and Yolg in the middle of the desert, but was soundly beaten by her. After leaving, Alita changed her mind when she learned from Bigott Eizenburg that a massive tornado had been triggered by the nuclear explosion, and returned for Figure and Yolg. However their jeep got caught up in the tornado and wound up on the edge of a skyscraper. Figure was able to save them, but as payback for his treatment by Alita, suspended her from the building. He later shimmied down to have a talk with Alita. Although the two opened up to each other, Figure's taunting set Alita off and she kicked him hard, making him lose his grip on the rope he was hanging onto. After she managed to grab him with her legs and threatened to drop him, the Barjack's Boiling Metal Battalion, which had returned to their base, attacked. Alita saved Yolg and Figrue when the building they were on was hit and collapsed. While hiding, Figure called into question Alita's bloodlust and desire for battle, making her think about her motivations. As she fought the Barjack, he decided to help her after realizing that she was less free than he was because she could not choose not to fight. He hijacked a Barjack vehicle mounting a minigun after the rest of the battalion arrived and had pinned down Alita, laying down enough covering fire for her to go after Colonel Bozzle, but Yolg’s defection stopped her short. The battalion then attacked Figure, apparently killing him when the building behind him collapsed on him. .]] Figure however survived, emerging from the rubble that same night after the Boiling Metal had left to attack Factory Farm 22. He managed to catch up to the battalion when it had camped for the night and was able to save Alita from Knucklehead when the latter attempted to duel with her, after which he realized that Alita likes him. After Bozzle was killed, Figure and Alita set off to Alhambra. Eventually they ran out of fuel for their jeep, and Figure carried Alita on his back as her legs had been shot off below the knees by Bozzle. Although they ran out of water and her TUNED body overheated, Figure refused to abandon her, admitting that he had fallen in love with her. They were saved by a deluge of rain and fish, a result of Bigott having manipulated the weather patterns to save Alita. Figure and Alita eventually reached Alhambra, where Figure returned to his previous life as a fisherman. Alita promised to return to him when her mission of apprehending Desty Nova was finished. Figure was later shown listening to the last broadcast of Radio K.A.O.S while preparing a harpoon for fishing.Battle 42 He also appeared in Alita's thoughts during her battle with AR-2Battle 44 and when Bigott offered to let her go after she apprehended Nova.Battle 45 Just before she transformed herself into the Tree of Life, Alita was able to use her Accelerator to travel to Alhambra and see him for the last time as he prepared to fish before returning to Tiphares and ascending to the sky hook to fuse with the docking bolt and save Tiphares and the Scrapyard. Figure could not see her, but felt her presence. .]] Five years later and following the construction of the Tower of Tiphares, Koyomi encountered Figure in Ketheres Elyion. She ended up buying him dinner after he beat up three cyborgs and won a large bet she had made on him. When asked about Alita's death, Figure adamantly refused to believe that she had died. Shortly after, a senile Nova was found. Figure grabbed him and asked him about Alita, prompting him to lead them into the trunk of the Tree of Life’s and to a chamber where a large bulb was suspended. Seeing something, Figure ripped open the bulb, from which emerged a human Alita, who recognized him. This ended the original manga. ''Last Order'' Figure's appearance in Last Order is quite late, although he initially appeared in Alita's thoughts. His appearance is of how he looked when Alita last saw him in Battle Angel Alita, being clean-shaven. Just before she started her infiltration of Melchizedek a photo of him appeared in an album that was tossed to Alita in her mind by Colonel Payne, prompting her to kiss the photo. Figure was one of the many characters from Alita's past shown when Melchizedek, appearing as an afterimage of Arthur Farrell, reached out to her consciousness after her ego was shattered and her Imaginos Body dissolved following Super Nova's Seca attack. Eleven months before the conclusion of the Tenth Zenith of Things Tournament, Figure was in Alhambra training under the eye of his master, Tauro Four. After demonstrating his mastery of oscillation strikes, Tauro told him that it was time for the next stage and proceeded to teach him pinnings and s. Figure's insistence that these techniques would not work on cyborgs was brushed off as Tauro explained that not all his opponents would be cybernetic. When they took a break, Tauro expressed his doubts about Figure wanting to marry Alita but the latter defended Alita and disregarded Tauro's statement that his parents would have been disappointed in him. With the arrival of a trading caravan, Figure came across a TUNED pistol that the dealer related had been taken from the body of the "Angel of Death". As he was unaware of the TUNED AR Series 2, Figure believed this to be Alita and that night packed up to go in search of her. To his surprise, Tauro gave him some money for the trip and told him to come back with Alita. Figure's first clue as to Alita's whereabouts came when he encountered some former Barjack turned bandits and asked one of them if he recognised a photo of Alita. The man recalled that a buddy of his who had been with the Heng had seen her and the latter led Figure to the site of the Heng's wreck, pointing him in the direction of Barjack City. Other appearances Figure appears in Gunnm: Martian Memory as a playable character during the first part of the TUNED Saga. During this part of the game the perspective shifts to Figure's and Gally takes on a secondary role as an NPC. She becomes playable again after they part ways at Factory Farm 22. Figure's fighting moves include the Hertza Haeon, which uses the same button combination to execute as Gally. At the end of the game, which occurs five years later, he is invited to Salem by Gally for the departure of Leviathan I, altering the circumstances of his original visit. References Category:Battle Angel Alita characters Category:Battle Angel Alita: Last Order characters Category:Gunnm: Martian Memory characters Category:Humans Category:Males